Scott No: 842-849
Serial number: S74
Values in set: 8
Date of issue: August 1, 1965
Denomination: 64 fen
Designer: Wan Weisheng
Size of stamps:
48.5*27mm for Value 1, 2, 3, 4;
27.5*48mm for Value 5, 6, 7, 8
Perforation: 11.5
Sheet composition:
40(4*10) for Value 1, 2, 3, 4;
40(10*4) for Value 5, 6, 7, 8
Printing process: Engraving and photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

Issued on 1 August 1965, the set contains eight stamps, printed in photogravure, designed by Wan Weisheng and produced by Beijing Stamp Factory. The first four measure 52mm × 31mm, with perforation 11.5 and sheets of 40 (4 × 10); the last four measure 31mm × 52mm, with perforation 11.5 and sheets of 40 (10 × 4). Each stamp carries a face value of 8 fen, giving a total set face value of 0.64 yuan, with print runs of 6 million each.

Main Theme of the Set

1965 was the thirty-eighth anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set on Army Day. Organised around the theme of building "four-good companies and five-good fighters" in the forces of the time, the set presents the life of the PLA barracks in the 1960s from eight aspects — theoretical study, ideological construction, combat-readiness training, army-civilian relations, internal solidarity, military skills, the company as a collective, and propaganda work — shaping the image of the revolutionary soldier of the new era and praising the people's army's spirit of loyalty to the people, hard training in skills and constant readiness for battle.

Stamp Designs and Historical Context

Be Sure to Truly Master Mao Zedong Thought

The design shows soldiers of the ground, sea and air forces gathered together, holding Mao Zedong's works, with a red banner slogan hanging above; it gives prominence to political study in the forces and reflects the important place of ideological construction in army building.

Five-Good Fighter

The PLA soldier in the design wears a medal on his chest, and in the background is the inscription "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng"; this corresponds to the movement then under way throughout the army to strive to be five-good fighters, taking Lei Feng as the model and encouraging soldiers to cultivate virtue and aim high.

Always Ready to Destroy Any Enemy That Dares to Invade

The soldier in the design is fully equipped and stands on guard with his rifle, his gaze alert, in a state of high combat readiness, expressing the firm resolve to defend the country's territory and meet any invading enemy at any moment.

Soldiers and Militia Train Together

The design depicts PLA soldiers drilling together with militia members and exchanging military skills, reflecting the idea of joint army-civilian defence, mutual help and mutual teaching, and the building of an all-people national defence.

Unity and Comradeship

The design shows several soldiers helping one another and caring attentively for their comrades, presenting the fine tradition within the barracks of mutual help and warm harmony between officers and men and among comrades in arms.

Train Hard to Master Superior Skills

The design focuses on soldiers carrying out bayonet training, their movements vigorous and forceful, reflecting the forces' close attention to training in basic military subjects and the tempering of the skills needed to destroy the enemy.

Four-Good Company

The design shows the soldiers of a company gathered around the large red pennant of a "four-good company", their collective spirit high; it reflects the mass movement of building four-good companies then under way.

Agitation and Propaganda

The design shows soldiers beating gongs and drums and carrying slogans as they carry out propaganda, presenting the propaganda and cultural work of the forces, which raised morale and spread ideas.

Artistic Features of the Design

The first four stamps of the set use a horizontal format and the last four a vertical one, the alternating arrangement giving the set a varied rhythm. The original designs were taken from propaganda posters of the forces of the time; the manner is plain and weighty, with the figures wearing the Type 65 uniform, the red-star cap badge and red collar tabs clearly characteristic. The photogravure printing gives full, saturated colour with warm reds, and the pictures are direct and forceful, a typical example of the military propaganda-poster style of the 1960s.